While browsing Mrs. C.'s convenience store, investigative reporter Eddie Brock notices a woman following him and calls her out on being so obvious. The woman introduces herself as Dora Skirth, an employee of the Life Foundation, and tells Eddie he was right about Carlton Drake and the illicit experiments being conducted there. Leaving the store, Eddie brushes her off.

Later, in his apartment, Eddie struggles not to panic and keep it together, having escaped from the Life Foundation after being bonded to one of the symbiotes they had been experimenting on. As someone knocks on the door, the symbiote - manifesting as a sinister voice in his head - tells him not to answer it. Eddie opens the door and is confronted by a trio of PMCs led by Roland Treece, the Life Foundation's head of security - sent to hunt him down and retrieve the symbiote. Eddie tries to surrender, but the symbiote - angry at being called someone's property, takes over and attacks, killing two of the mercenaries. As Eddie is horrified, the symbiote declares its intent to bite off the PMCs' heads and separate them into two piles.

Watching the pursuit, Carlton Drake - the Life Foundation's CEO - dispatches more mercenaries and drones to hunt Eddie down and reclaim the symbiote, forcing him to flee. Taking refuge in an alley, Eddie asks the symbiote what it is, speculating that it's some kind of parasite or a brain tumor-induced hallucination. Taking takes offence to this, the symbiote irately informs him that it's an alien from the planet Klyntar, but their discussion is interrupted when the Life Foundation's drones spot them. Taking his motorcycle, Eddie resumes fleeing as the symbiote attacks their pursuers, warning him to stay away from fire. Just as Eddie begins to acknowledge that being bonded to it isn't so bad, he's struck by Treece's van - knocking him to the ground and breaking his left arm and leg.

As Treece approaches and prepares to kill him, the symbiote emerges from Eddie's body, healing his injuries. Transforming Eddie into a hulking monster, the symbiote grabs Treece and prepares to devour him.

Some time later, Eddie - separated from the Venom symbiote and captured by the Life Foundation - is taken by Treece and two PMCs into the forest to be executed. Venom - in a female form - dispatches the PMCs and devours Treece before kissing Eddie, the symbiote transferring to him to reveal his ex-fiancee Anne Weying. Eddie reveals that Drake has bonded to a symbiote of his own, which the Venom symbiote identifies as Riot. When Anne declares his intent to help Venom fight, the symbiote knocks her out - Eddie scolding it for foing so.